Your Kandid is a very good example of a cartridge that is at the forefront of cartridge technology. The Kandid is sourced from Lyra and employs their new angle technology. As such, it is more advanced than just about any cartridge on the market that does NOT utilize this tech, IMHO. The fact that you were able to hear the difference is telling and does not surprise me. Many far more expensive cartridges are on the market with motors that are essentially designed forty or more years ago! Same innards as far cheaper models, but in most cases with simply different body materials. The fact that the motor is ancient in design and that the designer is relying on a body change is where the problem begins, IME. While it is true that body designs do have some ability to change the sound, IME utilizing the same old motor and charging a ton more $$ for it is not that impressive. Add to that fact some of these folks are using a cheap old aluminum cantilever as well...and I believe that one really only needs to use one’s ears and have an open mind to determine where the values truly lie. IMHO.